Before people get all riled up about my intention here, let me clarify that I am in no way associated with Bista, nor to his party or ideology. I am not glorifying him for his name. I am applauding the person for who he is, and the attitude he has carried so far, a personality that appears detached from his political goals and fits aptly with the country’s needs.
Many of you must be relieved that load-shedding is no more an 18-hour a day, simply put, ridiculous ordeal. While there are the pre-monsoon and the monsoon rains that filled up the Kulekhani reservoirs to thank, Bista’s role in it cannot be left unaccounted. He not only promised that he would reduce the power cuts, but actually showed that it was primarily possible by reducing uncontrolled leakages.
Bista’s significance here stands out in the unconventional approaches he took to make changes to the status-quo of the bureaucracy that he was a part of. It is standard to expect a new government to go on a rampage of political appointments. There was nothing different with the incumbent one, except that Bista, as one part of it, redefined the process and did what most political pundits would call a “bold” or maybe even a “risky” move. Instead of appointing his political cronies, he opened up a competition for the office of the Managing Director of the National Electricity Authority. Resumes were sought and short-listed candidates were interviewed, much like a competitive job application process. The conservative political front, which is used to ideological nepotism and thinks that it is in fact their right to do political recruitment, dissed Bista’s moves as “immature”.
Bista’s efforts were not immature. They were fundamentally different and possibly effective. He has also made an attempt at diving into the country’s core problem of people’s disrespect toward authority. Like said before, in an effort to reduce leakages, dozens of people who were stealing electricity directly from the transmission lines were arrested, penalized and had their electrical appliances confiscated. Surprising as it may sound, some Nepal Police booths were among the ones guilty of committing this crime. Government offices, which accrued dues up to almost NRs 8,000,000 saw their electricity lines cut off. Bold move? Happening under the jurisdiction of a young man who was stabbed in broad daylight the day after he was appointed minister, it sure is.
I am not glorifying Gokarna Bista for his name. I am applauding the person for who he is, and the attitude he has carried so far, a personality that appears detached from his political goals and fits aptly with the country’s needs.
All very interesting, isn’t it? A minister punishing his own government for wrong doings. A minister enforcing law to penalize public that is taking things for granted with absolutely no accountability to the country’s failure. But, let’s face it – isn’t that what a minister should always be doing? Isn’t that what he took his oath for? Why does it become news when Minister Gokarna Bista arrests people who are defying the law or puts his fist down on offices that are evading monthly dues to the government? The answer sadly is that because the right is rarely done in Nepal. There is so much wrong going on that one act of rightness, honesty or modesty becomes newsworthy. Bista stands out here not because what he did is exceptionally great, but mostly because what he did hasn’t been done in a long time as it should have been done. Given that we are surprised by Bista’s boldness here tells volumes about how corruptly the government functions in Nepal and how indifferent the general public has become with their manhandling of governance.
What Bista did and is doing is an example of not doing different things, but doing things differently. It is a perfect illustration of not harping over the problem but attacking it with a fresh perspective. It is a reinforcement of the idea that changes do not need to come big, they can start small. It is a showdown of breaking the conventional bubble of the political blame game and actually getting to work at the implementation level. It is an answer to people’s doubts with the government, and their questions about whether anything good can come out of the policy-making level anymore. It is a retort to those people who think governments are totally worthless and the solution is only in the hands of the civic society. It is an example of a young mind working for the national interest beyond his political and personal agendas. Why can this not be a standard for everyone else in the government service?
It is nothing new that the people in Nepal are fed up with their political leadership. We are adept at blaming the government for inefficiency within the system, and there sure have been enough reasons for it. It does sound like a long shot, but people like Gokarna Bista can bring the faith back. While it is difficult to see the immediate effects of people like Bista’s efforts in a country where the government topples every six months and the process of constitution writing becomes an almost impossible endeavor, it is not impossible. All we need is youth leadership willing to rise beyond their self-centered motives and simply follow the rule, or make other people follow the rule. What we need is more of Gokarna Bista – the personality and the spirit. We need the same level of passion for work. We need the same kind of ‘people first’ attitude to run in the government. That way, while the inevitable political game of who gets to be the prime minister or who gets to have more stake at national governance goes on, the public will at least have some people to keep their faith relied on.
A small request to Mr Bista while he is still in office, though. Could we stop advertising on hoarding boards and encouraging people to use CFL lights instead of conventional bulbs? CFL lights, Mr Bista, are energy savers and may well serve your goals of pushing the country toward power efficiency, but they are very harmful to the environment.
kumud.nepal@gmail.com
Related story
Infomerics Credit Rating Nepal receives operating license as co...
